MOUNTAIN PINE -- After being wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a parolee on Jan. 27, returning to work this week has been the result of a "healing process" for Mountain Pine Police Chief Chad King and his family.
"For a long time when I closed my eyes, it was an instant replay in my mind," King said Tuesday. "It's a job we all have to do. You really want to stay focused and put it in a spot in the back of your mind. You have to accept it. It's just something you have to do."
King, who was placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting, returned to work Monday after Garland County Prosecuting Attorney Terri Harris determined last week that his use of deadly force against parolee Scott Scanlon, 52, of Hot Springs, in the Little Blakely Creek Road area was justified.
King was shot three times in the leg and hip area by Scanlon, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Law enforcement agencies blocked streets to clear a path for the ambulance carrying King to CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs. He was released the next day.
King has since undergone physical therapy, and doctors are watching to make sure there is no lasting nerve damage. He said he now walks without the assistance of a walker or a cane. His family is waiting on doctor's approval for him to go on patrol again. King returned to work in his office at Mountain Pine City Hall on Monday.
"My neighbors would come by and see me every day," King said. "They would want positive things for me and would walk with me down to the creek. No matter how long it took me to walk with my walker down to the creek, they'd keep talking to me."
During his recovery process, family members, friends, local schools and government agencies have assisted his family. Friends from Colorado have come in to see him, and Jessieville and Mountain Pine elementary students sent cards to King with a donation to the family. The Hot Springs Village Police Department also sent a card that King described as "if you fold it out, it is the size of plywood." It was filled with signatures from the department and was delivered to him, since it could not be mailed, due to its size.
King stressed during an interview that he wanted to thank to the Garland County Sheriff's Department, Arkansas State Police, Harris, the investigators, State Park Service, LifeNet, Hot Springs Police Department, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Hot Springs Village Police Department, Mountain Pine City Hall, family, friends, community members and, especially, his wife.
"That woman is awesome; there are no other words to describe how awesome she is. She was so worried," he said.
"I want to stress the thank-you's to the sheriff's department not only for what they did for me, but for my family. The sheriff, Cpl. Fred Hawthorne and a Jessieville resource officer made sure my wife and children got to the hospital not too long after I did."
Texas police departments and fellow K-9 officers that he trained with offered to house his dog, but King did not want to be separated from his partner, Ray, for a month or more during his recovery due to the bond they share. The day of the shooting, King said Ray was very confused because he did not take him to work due to having to attend a meeting.
"When I came home the next day, I went directly to him," King said. "He knew something was wrong and he became more attached. I don't leave him that long and when we are going to stay somewhere overnight, I have a talk with him."
King said Ray is calm now and has been a little more protective. They often sit together on the back of King's truck.
"As long as I'm happy, he's happy," King said. "I love my job. If you've been with it for this long, you love it. I love everyone I work with. I have been blessed to be a part of such an extended family and want to stress my thank-you's."
Local on 03/17/2016